-
Financial Rates:
4.5
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Customer Service:
3.0
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Website Experience:
5.0
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Bank Fees:
5.0
Pros:
- No monthly maintenance fees
- Competitive interest rates
- Any account balance earns interest
- Good variety of CD terms
Cons:
- High opening required amounts
- Must link accounts to external bank
- No ATM or debit cards or checks
- Limited accounts offered
What You Need to Know
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Citizens Access bank accounts do not have any fees. There are no monthly maintenance fees or fees to open the account. The Citizens Access savings account is completely free. The only fee with the CDs comes if you withdraw money before the maturity date.
The online savings account and each of the CD terms earn competitive interest rates. Citizens Access rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are competitive with other online accounts. To earn the most competitive rate requires a balance of $5,000 in each account.
Any account balance in the Citizens Access savings account earns interest. If the account balance falls below $5,000 the interest you earn is less, but you still earn interest. To earn the most competitive rate requires a $5,000 balance in the account.
Citizens Access offers a good variety of CD terms. Those terms range from six-month terms to five-years. Each of these CDs requires $5,000 to open. The interest rates are competitive on each term. The longer the CD term, the higher the interest rate.
To open an online savings account or CD with Citizen Access requires a large sum. Each of these accounts requires $5,000 to open the accounts. To earn the most competitive interest rate requires a balance of $5,000.
To transfer money in and out of your Citizens Access account you must link to an external bank account. That account can be a different banking institution. Once you link the accounts, you can transfer money electronically between the two accounts. To withdraw money, you could request a check.
Currently, Citizens Access does not offer ATM cards, debit cards, or checks for their online savings account. Access your money easiest through electronic transfers. You can call customer service to request a check.
Citizens Access has a limited variety of account. Only personal deposit savings account and CDs are available. No personal checking accounts or money market accounts are available. There are no business accounts offered.
Cool Things
CD Rate Pledge
For ten days after you open a CD, Citizens Access will watch for the highest interest rate. The highest rate between those ten days will be locked in for the term of the CD. This ensures you earn the best interest rate on your money.
Financial Tools
The Citizens Access website offers financial tools. A savings calculator and CD rate comparison help you see what interest rates do for your money. They offer tips on how to build a CD ladder. You can see how the ladder would help increase your money.
History
Citizens Access is an online division of Citizens Bank. Citizens Bank has been around for over 190 years. They have over $150 billion in assets.
Citizens Access accounts are online only accounts. There are no branch locations. They offer an online savings account and CDs. The CD terms range from six-months to five-years.
Additional Benefits of Citizens Access
Opening an account with Citizens Access happens entirely online. You do not have to mail any of your information to the bank or wait for mail. Everything is online.
Citizens Access allows you to set up account alerts. Once you open an account, you can choose what alerts you want.
The interest you earn on Citizens Access CDs offer options of how to receive the money. You can have it added to the CD capital, or the money earned can be transferred into another account.
Currently, Citizens Access does not offer a mobile app. However, they do support Mobile Deposit Capture through their website. Sign into your account through your phone. The site will show you how to complete the deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Citizens Access is FDIC insured. The FDIC is an agency of the United States government that protects funds deposited in banks, up to $250,000 per customer, per bank. The money deposited in FDIC insured banks means money is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.
Electronic transfer between your Citizens Access accounts and an external bank account. You can also request a check be mailed to you to withdraw money.
Not at this time. Their website design offers easy access from your phone. You can deposit checks through the Citizens Access online banking.
Yes. The online savings account does not have a monthly fee. The only fee with CDs is if money is withdrawn before the maturity date.
The interest rates are competitive with other online bank accounts. There are no branch locations. To open each of the accounts requires $5,000. Any balance earns interest. To earn the most competitive rate require a balance of $5,000 in each of the accounts.
Citizens Access offers 24/7 fraud monitoring. They encrypt information with Secure Sockets Layering. Their accounts require two-factor authentication. If you suspect fraud, call customer service. They will freeze your account and investigate.
Yes. The online savings account and each of the CD terms offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts.
No. Only personal deposit accounts are available through Citizens Access. They offer an online savings account and CDs.
The interest rates are much more competitive. There are no branch locations. Everything for your account is online.
Citizens Access does not offer checking accounts. They offer a personal online savings account and CDs.
By phone or email. Customer service is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time. Saturday they are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
No. Citizens Access does not offer checking accounts or money market accounts. Because of that, no bill pay is available.
No. Make deposits through electronic transfers or by mailing in a check to be deposited.
Transfers from your Citizens Access account to an external bank account posts in two to three business days. Electronic transfers into Citizens Access accounts are typically available the same business day. Other deposits can take four to five business days.
Yes. You can have money directly deposited into Citizens Access savings account. Money can be directly deposited into CDs after maturity or during the grace period.
Bank Contact Information
Citizens AccessP.O Box 6801
Carol Stream, IL 60197-6801
1-888-201-6505
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| Savings (Rate as of 12/21/2024) | |
| APY | 3.80% |
|---|---|
| Rate | 3.73% |
| Min to Open | $0 |
| Min to Earn APY | $0 |
| Monthly Fee | $0.00 |
| Min to Avoid Fee | $0 |
| Checkbook | No |
| Member FDIC. | |
| Savings (Rate as of 12/21/2024) | |
| APY | 3.80% |
|---|---|
| Rate | 3.80% |
| Min to Open | $0 |
| Min to Earn APY | $0 |
| Monthly Fee | $0.00 |
| Min to Avoid Fee | $0 |
| Checkbook | No |
| Member FDIC. Promoted offer: It only takes about 5 minutes to open a fee-free account. |
|
The rate information is obtained by Bankrate from the listed institutions. Bankrate cannot guarantee the accuracy or availability of any rates shown. Institutions may have different rates on their own websites than those posted on Bankrate.com. The listings that appear on this page are from companies from which this website receives compensation, which may impact how, where, and in what order products appear. This table does not include all companies or all available products.
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1 APY stands for Annual Percent Yield. It's different from Rate because it takes into account compounding interest for the year.
2 MMA stands for Money Market Account. It's a savings and checking hybrid, allowing you to earn interest and use checks 6 times a month.